Small businesses that manage to get their Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven may find themselves losing valuable tax breaks, according to new guidance from the Internal Revenue Service.
Companies that qualify for loan forgiveness under legislation Congress approved won’t be able to deduct the wages or other businesses expenses they paid for using the loan, according to an IRS notice published Thursday.
“This treatment prevents a double tax benefit,” the agency said in the notice. “This conclusion is consistent with prior guidance of the IRS.”
The guidance clarifies a point of confusion in the $670 billion small business loan program to help businesses struggling as the coronavirus has brought the economy to a standstill. The law states that the forgiven loan won’t be taxed, but didn’t specify whether companies could still write off the expenses they covered with that money.
Pam Kelley is the Product Line Manager for Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting workflow solutions, including CCH Axcess Practice, CCH Axcess Workstream CCH Axcess iQ and CCH ProSystem fx Practice Management. She has been with Wolters Kluwer for almost 20 years, first as a business analyst, then product owner, before moving to product management earlier this year. Prior to working for Wolters Kluwer, Pam’s background includes working as Development Manager for another time, billing & workflow solution provider as well as Accounting Manager in private accounting.
Damon Russel is the Product Line Manager at Wolters Kluwer responsible for driving strategic development, sales and retention, and portfolio management of document management and client collaboration solutions for Tax and Accounting Professionals. He has over 10 years of experience delivering enterprise software solutions for Wolters Kluwer customers and their clients around the globe.
The tax code permits companies to write off businesses expenses, such as wages, rent and transportation expenses, but generally doesn’t allow write-offs for tax-exempt income.
The ruling adds to the list of stumbling blocks facing businesses as they try to qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program loans.
Small businesses have reported technical issues in trying to apply for the funds, which restarted Monday after the first round of funding ran out after just 13 days.
The program, run by the Small Business Administration, provides funds to cover eight weeks of payroll costs and the loans are forgiven if the employers keep workers on the job or quickly rehire laid-off workers.